There are three major muscles and multiple minor muscles comprising your rear end, shown and labeled in Figure 1. Attaching at the pelvis (hip bone), the gluteus muscles are the main muscles for pulling the thigh backwards, necessary for locomotion, stability, standing, and sitting. Glute weaknesses are common, but because they can be compensated for by the hamstrings and lower back, they often go unheeded until it is too late. Weak glutes commonly lead to hip injuries1, but contribute to back2, knee, and ankle injuries3,4. Strong glutes, meanwhile, provide great support for the lower limb, improving strength and reducing injuries5.
Fig 1: Gluteus and accessory muscles
There are two main types of exercises to strengthen the glutes:
Extension
Extension exercises mainly target the gluteus maximus—which is the largest, strongest, and most superficial muscle. The maximus causes a change in the leg position from one where the knee is close to the belly/chest and extend it to be straight and slightly behind the body. Step-ups, squats, hip thrusts, donkey kickbacks, and lunges are examples. These linear movements provide great overall strength to the glutes, but don’t improve stability as well as other kinds of exercise3,6.
Since the gluteus maximus is such a strong muscle, high-load exercises best activate it7. Low-load exercises will still recruit the muscle, but a high capacity for load means it will not be used fully, meaning it won’t adapt as well. It would be like using a garbage truck to carry a single bag of garbage; to use it properly is to use it at its full extent, which means heavier loads and lower rep ranges.
Abduction
Extending a limb away from the body is known as abduction, and hip abduction means the leg (particularly the knee) is moved away from the midline. These exercises target the other muscles of the glute, especially the gluteus medius and minimus. Weaker than the maximus, these muscles have a finer control of balance and hip support but strengthening them requires more specific movements. Clamshells, lateral walks/lunges/jumps, and hip abductions are some exercise examples to improve strength3,8.
Because abduction exercises target small, accessory muscles, not much resistance is required to obtain large benefits. Bodyweight is often enough, but adding a resistance band can provide the necessary stimulus if bodyweight is too light. Refrain from going too high in weight, as compensatory muscles (i.e. larger muscles) may be recruited at higher loads, not training the smaller muscles needed for hip stability. Performing hip abduction exercises at home is a reasonable and easy way to strengthen the muscles without overexerting oneself.
Single-leg exercises are often the best method of activating and strengthening the glute muscles3,7. Strength is required to lift the weight (whether bodyweight or added), activating the gluteus maximus, but stability is needed to keep balance on the front foot, activating the deeper accessory muscles. Lunges, step-ups/downs, pistol squats, single-leg jumps, and single-leg deadlifts stand out for exercises that improve both strength and stability.
References
- Souza, R. B. & Powers, C. M. Differences in hip kinematics, muscle strength, and muscle activation between subjects with and without patellofemoral pain. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther. 39, 12–19 (2009).
- Nelson-Wong, E., Gregory, D. E., Winter, D. A. & Callaghan, J. P. Gluteus medius muscle activation patterns as a predictor of low back pain during standing. Clin. Biomech. 23, 545–553 (2008).
- Moore, D., Semciw, A. I. & Pizzari, T. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF COMMON THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES THAT GENERATE HIGHEST MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN THE GLUTEUS MEDIUS AND GLUTEUS MINIMUS SEGMENTS. Int. J. Sports Phys. Ther. 15, 856–881 (2020).
- Azevedo, L. B., Lambert, M. I., Vaughan, C. L., O’Connor, C. M. & Schwellnus, M. P. Biomechanical variables associated with Achilles tendinopathy in runners. Br. J. Sports Med. 43, 288–292 (2009).
- Nascimento, L. R., Teixeira-Salmela, L. F., Souza, R. B. & Resende, R. A. Hip and Knee Strengthening Is More Effective Than Knee Strengthening Alone for Reducing Pain and Improving Activity in Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther. 48, 19–31 (2018).
- Collings, T. J. et al. Gluteal Muscle Forces during Hip-Focused Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Exercises. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 55, 650 (2023).
- Distefano, L. J., Blackburn, J. T., Marshall, S. W. & Padua, D. A. Gluteal Muscle Activation During Common Therapeutic Exercises. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther. 39, 532–540 (2009).
- Collings, T. J. et al. Gluteal Muscle Forces during Hip-Focused Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Exercises. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 55, 650 (2023).